Calibrachoa plant named ‘Kiecasflirob’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Calibrachoa  plant named ‘Kiecasflirob’, characterized by its uniform, low spreading, mounded and trailing plant habit; freely and continuous branching habit; dense and bushy plant growth habit; freely and continuous flowering habit, numerous small dark violet-colored flowers with dark purple-colored centers and golden yellow-colored throats; and good garden performance.

Botanical designation: Calibrachoa procumbens.

Cultivar denomination: ‘Kiecasflirob’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Calibrachoa plant, botanically known as Calibrachoa procumbens, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name Kiecasflirob.

The new Calibrachoa is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Venhuizen, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program is to create new trailing Calibrachoas with numerous flowers with attractive non-fading flower colors and tolerance to high temperatures.

The new Calibrachoa originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor during in 2002 of a proprietary Calibrachoa seedling selection identified as 530-2, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with the Calibrachoa cultivar Carillion Carmine, unpatented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Calibrachoa was selected as a single flowering plant from the resulting progeny of the stated cross-pollination by the Inventor in a controlled environment in 2002 in Venhuizen, The Netherlands.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken in Venhuizen, The Netherlands since 2003 has shown that the unique features of this new Calibrachoa are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the cultivar Kiecasflirob have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Kiecasflirob’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Kiecasflirob’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

-   -   1. Uniform, low spreading, mounded and trailing plant habit.     -   2. Freely and continuous branching habit; dense and bushy plant         growth habit.     -   3. Freely and continuous flowering habit, numerous small dark         violet-colored flowers with dark purple-colored centers and         golden yellow-colored throats.     -   4. Good garden performance.

Plants of the new Calibrachoa and the parents differed in flower coloration.

Plants of the new Calibrachoa can be compared to plants of the Calibrachoa cultivar Carillion Carmine, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Venhuizen, The Netherlands, plants of the new Calibrachoa differed from plants of the cultivar Carillion Carmine in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Calibrachoa had darker violet-colored         flowers than plants of the cultivar Carillion Carmine.     -   2. Plants of the new Calibrachoa were more high temperature         tolerant than plants of the cultivar Carillion Carmine.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Calibrachoa.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Kiecasflirob’ grown in a container.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a close-up view of typical flowers and leaves of ‘Kiecasflirob’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations and measurements describe plants grown in Lompoc, Calif., under commercial practice during the winter and spring in a polycarbonate-covered greenhouse with day temperatures ranging from 21 to 24° C., night temperatures ranging from 16 to 18° C., and light levels ranging from 4,000 to 8,000 foot candles. When the photographs and the description were taken, plants had been growing for about 13 weeks with one plant per 10-cm container.

-   Botanical classification: Calibrachoa procumbens cultivar     Kiecasflirob. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female parent.—Proprietary Calibrachoa procumbens seedling             selection identified as 530-2, not patented.         -   Male parent.—Calibrachoa procumbens cultivar Carillion             Carmine, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type cutting.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer and winter.—About two weeks             at 21° C.         -   Time to develop roots.—About three weeks at 21° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous; white in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; dense. -   Plant description:     -   -   Form.—Annual flowering plant; uniform, mounded, low             spreading and trailing plant habit; plants eventually             becoming hemispherical to spherical in shape. Freely and             continuously branching habit with about six main lateral             branches per plant each with about four to five secondary             branches; dense and bushy plant growth habit. Vigorous             growth habit.         -   Plant height.—About 7 cm.         -   Plant diameter.—About 36 cm.         -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 28 cm. Diameter: About             2.5 mm. Internode length: About 2.2 cm. Texture: Pubescent.             Color: 144B.         -   Foliage description.—Arrangement: Before flowering,             alternate; after flowering, opposite; simple. Length: About             3.2 cm. Width: About 8 mm. Shape: Narrowly elliptic. Apex:             Rounded. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and             lower surfaces: Pubescent; slightly glandular. Venation             pattern: Pinnate, arcuate. Color: Developing foliage, upper             surface: 146A. Developing foliage, lower surface: 146B.             Fully expanded foliage, upper and lower surfaces: 146A.             Venation, upper and lower surfaces: 146B. Petiole length:             About 6 mm. Petiole diameter: About 1 mm. Petiole color:             146B. -   Flower description:     -   -   Flower type and habit.—Salverform flowers; single, axillary.             Flowers face mostly upward or outward and are held above and             beyond the foliage.         -   Quantity of flowers.—Freely flowering, typically about five             open flowers and flower buds per lateral stem.         -   Natural flowering season.—Long day responsive; spring until             frost in the autumn; flowering continuous during the             flowering period. Flowers persistent.         -   Flower longevity on the plant.—About four to five days.             Fragrance: None detected.         -   Flower diameter.—About 3.1 cm.         -   Flower throat diameter.—About 8 mm.         -   Flower tube length.—About 2 cm.         -   Flower tube diameter at base.—About 2 mm.         -   Flower buds (showing color).—Length: About 2.1 cm. Diameter:             About 4 mm. Shape: Elongated oblong. Color: More gray than             79A.         -   Corolla.—Arrangement/appearance: Single whorl of five             petals, fused into flared trumpet with distinct clefts             between petal lobes. Petal length from throat: About 1.2 cm.             Petal width: About 1.4 cm. Petal shape: Roughly spatulate or             fan-shaped. Petal apex: Rounded. Petal margin: Entire. Petal             texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, velvety. Color:             Petal, upper surface, when opening: Brighter violet than             79A. Petal, lower surface, when opening: More gray than 79C.             Petal, upper surface, fully opened: Brighter than 83A;             towards the base, 79A. Petal, lower surface, fully opened:             79D. Flower throat (inside): 17C. Flower tube (outside):             160B. Venation, upper petal surface: 79A. Venation, lower             petal surface: 79C. Venation, throat: 79A. Venation, tube:             79B.         -   Sepals.—Arrangement/appearance: Single whorl of five sepals             fused at base, star-shaped. Length: About 1 cm. Width: About             2 mm. Shape: Narrowly lanceolate. Apex: Acute. Margin:             Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Finely pubescent.             Color, immature and mature, upper surface: 146B. Color,             immature and mature, lower surface: 146C.         -   Peduncles.—Length: About 2 cm. Width: About 1 mm. Angle:             About 30° to the stem. Strength: Strong. Texture: Pubescent.             Color: 145A.         -   Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity/arrangement: Five.             Anther shape: Oval. Anther length: Less than 1 mm. Anther             color: 10C. Pollen amount: Scarce. Pollen color: 10C.             Pistils: Quantity: One. Pistil length: About 9 mm. Stigma             shape: Rounded. Stigma color: 145B. Style length: About             6 mm. Style color: 145D. Ovary color: 145A.         -   Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production has not been observed. -   Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new Calibrachoa have not been     noted to be resistant to pathogens or pests common to Calibrachoa. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Calibrachoa have good garden     performance and have been observed to be tolerant to rain, wind and     temperatures ranging from 5 to 35° C. 

1. A new and distinct cultivar of Calibrachoa plant named ‘Kiecasflirob’, as illustrated and described. 